30amp Y Splitter for 2 RV's

Galvinized wrote:
I tried the 20A outlet. But I have to use a 12ga 50' extension cord with an adaptor of course and it felt warm in the shade at the connection. That is my emergency backup plan to run it on a limited basis if I can't get a gennie. Thanks again.

Yeah a 50ft small extension cord plus the 25ft cord attached to the RV is an extra 75ft of voltage drop.

ken56 wrote:
I had friends visit a few years back. They stayed in the yard and plugged into a 15 amp outlet approx. 50 feet away. I told them to be careful with their electrical usage because of it. Well, it got hot out enough they needed to use the air conditioner. After they left I noticed my outdoor portch light had stopped working so I took things apart and using that outlet with such heavy current draw melted the connections to the light enough to stop it working.

Even with a 30 amp outlet there will be very high current draw using 2 air conditioners and will likey melt some wires if not cause a fire. I was lucky as my outlet did not cause a fire but it was too close for comfort. Be very careful.

Sounds like an improperly set up circuit. The circuit is protected by the breaker and everything downstream of that breaker should be rated for at least the tripped load.

Might be cheaper to get a heavier cord, you can always use it, lol. Also, have them run fridge and other stuff on propane. No microwaves, or turn the air off first if they need power for that, cofee maker etc. Its doable, just be safe.

Galvinized wrote:
Thanks all. You helped confirmed what I thought. The 30amp on the barn is great for my travel trailer, but looks like we will have to borrow or buy a gennie for the second one this weekend. Better safe than sorry. Happy camping.

I would give it a go as is before spending money on a generator.
Possibly even pull a temporary second 30 amp circuit. If the conduit has space you just need to pull one hot for 30 amp split phase to feed both RVs with full power.

Is the breaker panel located somewhere that you could install an additional breaker and wire a temporary feed for the second camper into it?

The 15 to 30 amp adapters are the weak point of the circuit. I made an extension cord with a 30 amp receptacle on one end and a TRUE 20 amp plug on the other. The real 20 amp plug has the hot blade cross wise to the neutral. If you have 12 ga wire to the receptacle, replace it with a real 20 amp receptacle. This eliminates the weak 15 amp adapter.

I tried the 20A outlet. But I have to use a 12ga 50' extension cord with an adaptor of course and it felt warm in the shade at the connection. That is my emergency backup plan to run it on a limited basis if I can't get a gennie. Thanks again.

A splitter doesn't double the amperage capability of the outlet.

Assuming the barn is on one circuit built for 30amp, yeah, a gennie is the realistic option.

Now if you have a second independent circuit with it's own breaker, you could always have them plug into that. If they aren't far from the outlet, a 20amp outlet should be enough to run the aircon.

Thanks all. You helped confirmed what I thought. The 30amp on the barn is great for my travel trailer, but looks like we will have to borrow or buy a gennie for the second one this weekend. Better safe than sorry. Happy camping.

I had friends visit a few years back. They stayed in the yard and plugged into a 15 amp outlet approx. 50 feet away. I told them to be careful with their electrical usage because of it. Well, it got hot out enough they needed to use the air conditioner. After they left I noticed my outdoor portch light had stopped working so I took things apart and using that outlet with such heavy current draw melted the connections to the light enough to stop it working.

Even with a 30 amp outlet there will be very high current draw using 2 air conditioners and will likey melt some wires if not cause a fire. I was lucky as my outlet did not cause a fire but it was too close for comfort. Be very careful.